Chocolate Lava Cakes with Pistachio Cream

These flourless chocolate cakes are as rich as a restaurant dessert, but they're made with a fraction of the fat and no dairy butter. When these cakes bake, the gooey filling causes the center to sink in.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cake and 2 teaspoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  shelled dry-roasted pistachios
• 1 3/4  cups  sugar, divided
• 1/4  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 2  large eggs
• 5  large egg whites
• 2  ounces  bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
• Dash of salt
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Preparation

Place pistachios in a food processor; process until a crumbly paste forms (about 3 1/2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once.

Place 1/4 cup pistachio butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg whites in top of a double boiler; stir well with a whisk. Add chocolate; cook over simmering water until chocolate melts and sugar dissolves (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; add baking powder and vanilla. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Chill 2 hours.

Place remaining 1/4 cup pistachio butter and 1/2 cup sugar in food processor; pulse 4 times or until combined. Add milk and salt; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a small saucepan; discard solids. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 4 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; pour into a bowl. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Bake cakes at 450° for 9 minutes or until almost set (centers will not be firm). Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert each cake onto a dessert plate; drizzle with sauce. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

232 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.7g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.5g)

Protein:

6.1g

Carbohydrate:

37.2g

Fiber:

2g

Cholesterol:

37mg

Iron:

0.9mg

Sodium:

73mg

Calcium:

51mg